The big three; Germany, France and the UK still dominate physical retail spending in Western Europe. Contribution from the rest of Western Europe has declined from 33% of total physical retail spending in 2010 to 26% in 2015. Together the big three accounted for a combined 74% of total spending on physical disc retail, and this share is expected to remain stable throughout the forecast period.

IHS has revised its French retail physical video forecasts for 2016 through to 2020 on the basis of Q1 2016 data from French audiovisual authority Centre National du Cinéma (CNC) and feedback received from industry sources. Historical figures for 2014 and 2015 have also been adjusted marginally upwards, in line with revised market data published by the CNC.

IHS’s French physical video data for 2015 have been revised on the basis of year-end figures published by the CNC and feedback from the industry sources. Forecasts through to 2019 have been adjusted accordingly.

Japanese rental video returns continued downward in 2015 after a rise in unit sales failed to offset a price decline, according to IHS analysis of year-end 2015 data from the Japan Video Software Association (JVA). A 2.8% increase in rental video sales to nearly 29.6 million failed to compensate for a fall in rental disc prices, which drove down rental video returns 13.1% to ¥54.3 billion ($449 million) compared with the previous year.

Combined Japanese retail video shipments of Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD formats declined 13.3% to just under 42.2 million units in 2015 compared with the previous year, although revenues fared better, falling 2.7% to nearly ¥163 billion ($1.3 billion). Meanwhile, the value of the retail BD business climbed 3.2% in 2015 despite a 3.6% decline in unit sales, according to IHS analysis of 2015 results from the Japan Video Software Association (JVA).

Japanese video hardware shipments fell 12% to just over 3.4 million in 2015, according to IHS analysis of year-end 2015 results released by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA).

This report examines the impact of Netflix's SVOD services on the physical video business in the USA and UK, and in particular on the sale and rental of movies and TV content. It assesses the likely impact of Netflix's 2015 launches on the physical video markets of Australia and Japan.

IHS’s French physical video forecasts for 2015 have been revised on the basis of half yearly figures GfK published by the CNC and feedback from the industry sources. Forecasts to 2019 have also been adjusted accordingly.

Distributor revenues from Japanese physical video rental continued to decline in Q1 2015. A rise in Blu-ray Disc (BD) rental sales in January to March 2015 failed to compensate for the continuing decline in the rental DVD sector according to IHS analysis of first-quarter 2015 data from the Japan Video Software Association (JVA). JVA member companies shipped nearly 6.7 million units to the rental market in the first three months of 2015, down 3.4% compared with the previous year. Revenues, however, declined 14.6% to ¥13.1 billion ($124 million) over the same period.

Japan’s retail video business showed healthier signs in the first quarter of 2015 after declining in 2014, according to IHS analysis of January to March 2015 results from the Japan Video Software Association (JVA). Revenues from the combined Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD retail sectors increased 2.0% in Q1 2015 compared with the corresponding period a year earlier to just over ¥41.9 billion ($396 million) helped by increases in the average trade price for both BDs and DVDs. The result is a modest gain on the decline experienced for full-year 2014, when value fell 8.8%.

Japanese video hardware shipments are declining again according to IHS analysis of first quarter 2015 results from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA). JEITA member video hardware shipments fell 22% in the period from January to March 2015, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.

Netflix has announced that its service will be launched in Australia and New Zealand on 24 March 2015. Consumers can look forward to original content, local as well as foreign series and films available on smart televisions, set-top boxes, games consoles, tablets and smartphones.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment have entered into a new five year distribution agreement, with Universal set to distribute Paramount home entertainment titles in key international markets, starting with the UK on July 1, 2015.
The agreement covers DVD and Blu-ray Discs (BD) only and both studios will continue distribute their own physical home video titles in the United States and Canada. No official announcements have been made to date regarding which countries are set to follow the UK, but they are anticipated to include international territories where Paramount currently has an office.

Japanese rental video sales between January and November 2014 fell 6.9% to just under 26 million compared with the corresponding period a year earlier, whilst revenues declined 10.9% to ¥54.4 billion ($557 million) over the same period.

Japanese retail shipments from the combined Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD formats have continued downward according IHS analysis of January to November 2014 results from the Japan Video Software Association (JVA). JVA member retail video shipments and revenues fell 2.0% and 6.8% respectively over the period, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.